A Mirror and Pride
by HansCampanella
Summary: Rewritten! Just a short side story about how Ronan made a contract with the weakened Demon of Pride from my Crossover universe "Evillious Chase".
1. Act 1: Gold Framed Mirror

**(A/N) Now Updated/Rewritten!**

This story takes place after the destruction of the Third Period, and the creation of the Fourth Period; also known as "Aernas", in my crossover universe. Reflected in the mirror, the Demon took the appearence of Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche (mostly Waiter). Also, the narrator and characters will refer to it in female pronouns throughout the story.

* * *

 **Erudon Mansion, EC. 1447. October 17th (Ronan's 7th Birthday).**

It was a lively afternoon at the mansion of the legendary family of Spell Knights, the Erudon Family. The servants were in a rush, preparing everything for a special event. Why, such special event was an important someone's birthday – none other than the young heir, Ronan Erudon's, seventh birthday.

All the servants cared deeply for the young boy, for his mother, Aurora, died giving birth to him; and his father, Cyrus, had no time to spend with him, as a matter of fact, he was out in a business trip in this special day. Ronan's aunt and Cyrus' sister, Karina, was sent to Serdin along with the princess Anyu for exchange training, and so had no conditions to come for his birthday. Ronan loved his aunt deeply, and looked up to her as his inspiration of an ideal swordswoman - although they had merely 8 years of age difference - and so understood her situation. His father was the problem, as he didn't seem to care for the young boy at all.

Ronan's best friend and servant, Harpe Noir, was the one who was looking forward to this date more than anyone. He ran about, helping the other servants with the preparatives. His mother had to call his attention once in a while, afraid he would hurt himself whilst running like that. The servant was normally a quiet, behaved child, but he could easily become unquiet by the simple mention of Ronan. Such devotion he had for his young master, despite being 4 years older than him!

It seemed everything was ready for the birthday. The cake, sweets, presents, decorations; everything was put thoroughly in order for this joyful date.

However, there was still one thing missing in the party – the birthday person.

 **-x—x—x-**

Light steps could be heard slightly echoing through one of the hallways of the house, but there was no one to notice them. A door was opened and then closed cautiously, as a small indigo figure entered the room he has always been prohibited of entering – the basement of the mansion. The boy, who was in fact the young Ronan Erudon, carefully went down the wooden stairs, which were damaged by time and termites.

The room was dark, save for a small beam of light coming from a small window illuminating the place enough for Ronan to see what was there. There were old weapons and other equipment, old furniture, and boxes. Lots and lots of boxes, Ronan noticed.

The young Erudon sat down by a corner and buried his head in his knees, crying.

"Papa is an idiot." He sobbed. "It's my birthday and he had to go on a business trip." After a few minutes, he looked up to glance once again at his surroundings. "If it IS really a business trip. I bet he just wanted to get away from me… Like every year." Ronan said harshly, snuffling and wiping his tears. He got up and looked around.

"Come to think about it, I've never been in the basement before." Ronan started walking around, examining the place. "Papa and the servants forbid me of coming down here. I wonder why…?"

He stopped in front of a pile of boxes. He grabbed a small box next to it, and upon noticing his hands got dirty with dust, he immediately put it back in its place. Ronan wiped his hands on his pants.

"Eww. What a mess. I bet no one has come down here for years." He spotted an old feather duster in one the open boxes that where in top of the pile. "…Makes me want to clean everything." The young Erudon started collecting nearby boxes, and placed them in a way he could climb up and grab the duster. However, the box was heavier than he expected, which caused him to lose balance and fall back, kicking one of the boxes of the pile in process, which resulted in them all falling down.

Ronan fell on his bum, the boxes surrounding him with their contents scattered around; as some had opened when they fell down. Thankfully, there was nothing breakable inside them.

"Ow, ow, ow… Stupid boxes…" Ronan grumbled, but then realized the mess he made. "Uh-oh. I'm going to get in trouble for this…huh?" The boy noticed a small, worn-out black box - different from all the others - and it caught his attention. He took the box and examined it, somehow scared of opening it. "I wonder what's inside?" He started shaking the box as if doing that would give him an answer somehow.

"Ouch! Cut it out! CUT IT OUT!" A voice demanded. Ronan looked around, confused and afraid.

"Eh? W-who said that? I-is anyone there?"

"Of course there is! Me!"

"W-where are you?"

"Inside the box! Moron!"

Surprised, Ronan curiously opened the box. Inside it was a old handheld mirror with a golden frame. Judging by the state of the box, the mirror should have been kept in there for centuries, but surprisingly, its glass was perfectly clean and its golden frame was shiny and didn't look worn out at all. It looked like the box preserved it. Although the object in Ronan's hands was indeed stunning, his interest for it quickly faded away. Maybe an adult would be more interested.

"Oh." He sighed. "It's simply a handheld mirror. I must be going crazy. Hearing things."

"Simply a mirror? How rude! You have no idea who you're addressing to as simply a mirror, commoner!" The same voice from before complained. Ronan noticed the voice was coming from the mirror in his hands. Oh, so that who it was.

Wait... what?

"The mirror speaks?" He had a confused expression on his face.

"Excuse you, I'm not a mirror. Look closely, moron!"

Ronan looked closely at the handheld object, and quickly noticed the mirror strangely didn't reflect his image; In the contrary, reflected in the mirror was a blonde girl with blue eyes, who had a short hair with a white ribbon in the back of her head. She wore what seemed to be some sort of white suit with some yellow details and a ribbon in it.

"Huh?" Ronan tilted his head in confusion. "You're not my reflection…"

"Of course I'm not." The figure pouted. "…But I'm glad a mortal found me after all these years. Tell me, human, what do you call yourself?"

"Ronan… Ronan Erudon."

"Right."

"And you are…?"

"I'm the amazing and great Pride. Or Vanity, or Lucifer, or Waiter… whatever."

"Oh." Ronan's face lightened a bit. "Nice to meet you. May I call you Vanity?"

"Do as you wish." Pride snorted. "You should feel honored I even bothered to present myself to you, mortal."

"I see. But tell me, Vanity, why are you trapped inside this mirror?"

Pride raised an eyebrow and smirked, crossing her arms in a prideful way. "Eeeeh? You must be dying of curiosity, isn't that right!" She laughed exaggeratedly, and Ronan just nodded in an innocent way. "Very well! Since you want to know of my story this much, I will tell you."

"I got attacked. I could've easily defeated the person, obviously, but she caught me distracted. She sealed me in this mirror, and cast a spell to drain my powers, and I'm unable to undo it. And here I am, left in this state, trapped in this damned mirror." Ronan could swear she muttered something that sounded like 'again' after saying that.

"I see… Poor thing." The boy frowned, showing genuine concern for the entity. Pride, in the other hand, felt irritated by the boy's reaction.

"I don't need your pity." She simply said.

"But you've been trapped in there - alone - for a long time, weren't you?" He asked. "It must hurt, doesn't it?"

Pride was surprised by his sudden change of attitude. "Excuse you?"

"It's the same for me. I've been alone too… Alone against the world. Isn't that how you feel?"

After a moment of silence, staring at the indigo boy's sad pout with a puzzled expression, Pride looked away, trying not to show weakness. "It may be."

"Do you think…Perhaps, we could be friends?" Ronan asked all of sudden.

"What?" Pride was once again taken aback.

Ronan shook his head and a smile formed on his lips. "I mean! You're probably alone against the world too, right? So we could become friends!"

"…Why are you saying that? I don't need the pity of a mortal such as yours—"

"I can even help you get out of the mirror, if that's possible!" Ronan interrupted her, which annoyed Pride, but she didn't bother to protest. "Since I've found you in this basement, I can't just put you back in that box, right?"

"Getting out of the mirror…" Pride muttered.

"That's right, Vanity! You've been abandoned and forgotten down here for a long time, and everyone in this household despises me – so perhaps we can become each other's support!" His smile suddenly vanished from his face as he muttered some more words. "Maybe run away from here…" He quickly shook his head, as if trying to make these dark thoughts go away, and smiled once again. "I can help you."

Pride blinked at him, confused. Nobody has ever been this kind to her, especially with her personality. Why was this obnoxious boy offering his help? Pride has never been good with understanding humans.

Nevertheless, what he said - about freeing her. Once again, finding herself out of that mirror, free to do whatever she pleased… Cause whatever trouble she wanted... Pride had to admit she enjoyed that idea. Freedom.

"When…" She started, and the young Erudon listened attentively. "When you beg like that, I have no choice but accept. I guess I can make you my gardener." Suddenly, at hearing the word she had just said, she felt like an arrow had pierced her heart.

"Gardener?" Ronan repeated that word. "There are no gardens here, Vanity… Except for the mansion gardens of course, but.." He put a hand on his chin, trying to understand what she said.

Before she could say anything in response, they both heard some footsteps echoing. Soon, a voice called "Young Master!". Ronan smiled, recognizing it as Harpe. "Young Master! Where are you?" The voice was coming from the hallway; thankfully he didn't notice Ronan was in the basement, the so-called off limits area of the mansion.

"Oh. It's Harpe." Ronan commented with a low voice, scared he would be found out. "He's my best friend."

"Best friend?" Pride crossed her arms in an annoyed way. "I thought you said everyone here despised you."

Ronan chuckled awkwardly, blushing a bit. "Hehe… Well, not everybody. Maybe just my papa and the twin maids…" He lowered his head, feeling embarrassed. "My bad."

"Moron." The blondie said bitterly.

"I think I should go now. I've heard they've prepared my birthday party." Ronan said, getting up and still holding the mirror with one hand. "Oh, I had an idea! I should introduce you to them, Vanity! I'm sure they'll all like you – especially Harpe!"

"I have serious doubts…" Pride sighed. "I don't want to meet them."

"What?" Ronan looked disappointed. "Why?"

"Bad things might happen if the others were to find me. I think it's best if you leave the mirror here."

"I don't understand what you mean by bad things… I would've loved to introduce you to Harpe, Vanity, but if you think it's for the best, that's alright for me." He placed the mirror back in the black box he had previously found it. "I'll come back tomorrow. You'll wait for me, right?"

"Right. It's not like the mirror will grow legs and walk away." Pride rolled her eyes, smiling a bit at Ronan's stupid question. The young indigo-haired boy laughed as well.

"Right. Then I'll see you tomorrow, Vanity. I'm glad to have met you!"

"You better be, servant!" Pride smirked.

Ronan then closed the box and placed it in a corner of the basement, partly hidden; as if afraid someone would find the mirror and take it away. He climbed up the stairs and peeked out the door, to make sure the hallway was empty – so nobody knew he was in the basement all this time and he wouldn't get in trouble – and quietly closed it behind him. He then started looking for Harpe, so that the young Erudon's birthday party could finally get started.

 **-x—x—x-**

Back in the black box, Pride was pondering inside her vessel. "Weird, he didn't seem afraid of me. Could it be that he never heard of us, the Demons of Sin…? It's probably the case." A pause. Pride remembered when she said Ronan could become her gardener. That word, gardener, reminded her of a certain someone, and the young boy did so too.

"Why does this Ronan Erudon looks so much like him? My Gardener… Gammon… Ugh! It's no use thinking too much about it. I may even grow stupid. I just need to find a way to possess that young indigo and get out of this damned mirror."


	2. Act 2: Sigh

**April of Evillious Calendar (E.C.) 1448. Dining Room – Erudon Mansion.**

Ronan's father, Cyrus Erudon, was holding an important business dinner. He had invited important people from the kingdom of Kanavan. They were talking about the possibility of a war, and other political stuff – nothing interesting.

The young 8-years old Ronan was forced to attend the dinner. It had nothing to do with him, and he found it plain dull, but since Cyrus suddenly remembered Ronan was his son and heir, the next Spell Knight in line, he made Ronan sit down beside him the table, hearing all those strangers' babbling.

Suddenly, as if Cyrus had heard his son's voice, he started talking about Ronan. About how his son would be a great Spell Knight; what his grandparents, Cyrus's parents, wanted. The firstborn males of the Erudon family were to train to become great Spell Knights – it has always been the tradition, as far as Ronan knew. As Cyrus's only son, Ronan had no choice but embrace that fate – whether he wanted it or not.

He understand that, but hearing his father talking about his future as if was already fully planned annoyed the young Erudon. Furthermore, Cyrus was talking about him as if he weren't even present. At some point, Ronan snapped – he slammed the table with his tiny fist, and got out his chair. All the men in the room became quiet.

"Excuse me." Ronan said angrily, and walked towards the door.

"Ronan!" Cyrus said, not even bothering to get up. "Come back here at this instant."

"No. I'm leaving."

"That behavior is unacceptable. Come back here at once and behave yourself."

"You can't give me orders!" Ronan stopped and turned around to look at his father, flicking out his tongue.

Cyrus slammed the table with both hands, and got up, a angered look on his face. "How dare you talk to me like that! I am your father!"

"Well, I wish you weren't!" Ronan yelled, running towards the door. The youngest maids working at the mansion, Ellie and Evie, were spying on them, hidden behind the wooden doors, and as Ronan opened them, Ellie stretched out her leg, causing Ronan to stumble and fall down. Ellie and Evie were twins sisters, and were 10 years older than Ronan. They both disliked him for some reason he didn't know – but he wouldn't be bothered by them now. He quickly got up, and continued running. He could hear the twin maids snickering behind him.

 **-x—x—x-**

Ronan found himself opening the door of the basement and running downstairs, to grab that same old black box. He have been doing that almost every day for some time now. He opened the box and grabbed the mirror, sobbing. It showed him his reflection – his puffy eyes, red from crying, and the tears falling down his eyes.

"Vanity. Vanity!" He called.

As soon as he called, the image in the mirror changed to that blonde girl's.

"What the hell do you want, moron?" Pride asked in as raspy voice, as if she had been woken up. "You usually come here at afternoon, but it's evening, and—" She opened her eyes to finally look at him. "Ronan…?"

"Vanity!" Ronan's voice as muffled by his sobbing. "They were doing it again! Papa… Papa and his friends were talking about me again…!" Vanity didn't answer. "About m-me becoming a great S-Spell Knight…or something like that… That everyone has high expectations of me…" He snuffled. "V-Vanity, I'm scared."

"Ro…nan…." She opened her mouth to say something, anything, that could comfort him, but no words came to her mind. She gave him a crooked smile, looking away. "And what does that have to do with me? What do you expect me to do…?" She said a bit rudely, but that was her personality after all. Ronan knew that.

Ronan blinked a few times, and if he didn't hear correctly, but soon wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "You're right Vanity, I'm sorry I'm such a crybaby. I just needed to tell someone how I felt."

"It's quite alright." Pride said, not even bothering to make eye contact with him. "Now, why don't you show me a smile? Your best one."

"Hehe, I'm sorry." Ronan giggled. Vanity finally looked at him.

"Hey, commoner, you've got my presence. That's gotta make you happy – it's the best thing you could ever wish for." She said proudly, crossing her arms. Ronan laughed a bit more.

"You're right! I'm actually surprised you endure me everyday. Harpe barely manages to do it, I believe."

"It's simply that your presence amuses me, slave." No, Ronan wasn't a nuisance, and Pride kind of liked having him around. Kind of. He reminded her of Gammon. It was somewhat nice, to have him around before she disappeared completely.

Suddenly, Ronan brought the glass of the mirror closer to his face and kissed it gently; kissing the girl on the cheek. She squeaked in surprise and confusion. "I'm glad you're with me." Ronan smiled.

"What was that for! I know my presence is invaluable but you don't have to do that! Moron! Don't do it ever again!" She yelled, her cheeks burning deep red. Ronan laughed a bit more for some minutes, and then they both became silent.

Pride, disappearing completely. The spell cast on the mirror was draining her energy. It was killing her. The only way out would be contracting with Ronan, so she could use his body as a vessel. As for her weakened form, she could just drain the Erudon's life energy to survive, until the moment he died and she took over his body. It was the plan – clear as water. She had earned his trust. It was the moment she would finally ask him.

"Hey Ronan." She called all of sudden.

"Yes?" He smiled tenderly.

"Could I ask a favor of you?"

"Anything. What is it?"

"Could you-" She hesitated. Why she hesitated? It was so simple. Trick him to contract with her, use him as vessel, drain his life energy until his consciousness decayed, and then live on his body. It was for that reason she put up with him, befriending him simply so she could trick him and get out of the mirror, right? Easy. But then, why was she hesitating now? Pride cursed under her breath, and unable to proceed with the question, she sighed and shook her head. "Actually, it's nothing, forget I asked."

Ronan's smiled vanished from his face. "What? Come on! Tell me what is it, Vanity!"

"It's nothing!" She pouted.

Before he could protest, he heard the door opening. Ronan looked at the doorway to find Harpe with a worried look on his face. He thought about hiding, but the albino had already spotted him.

"Young Master!" Harpe said, running to the corner where Ronan was sitting and holding the mirror.

"Ah… Harpe." Ronan said nervously, feeling a bit scared and disappointed his hiding place had been found out.

"Oh Heavens!" Harpe knelt down and hugged Ronan tightly. "I've looked for you everywhere, my Lord, I thought you had ran away from home or something… Don't scare me like that, I beg you." Ronan's answer was to shyly hug him back.

"I'm sorry, Harpe." He whispered.

A few moments passed by and Harpe's grip on his master's back loosened, but the young indigo didn't seem to let go, as he slightly grabbed the servant's waistcoat.

"Young master?" He tried moving, but the Erudon didn't let go of him. "You can let go of me now, Young Master." He placed his hands on Ronan's shoulders, pushing him gently. Ronan continued embracing him stubbornly, leading Harpe to try putting a bit more force on his hands, and after a few moments the Erudon's grip on Harpe finally loosened.

"But… I was here with my friend, Harpe." Ronan said.

"Friend?" Harpe looked around with a look of contempt. "We're the only ones down here, lord Ronan."

A smile formed on Ronan's face. "Hehee!" He laughed. "I've been meaning to introduce you two for some time now! Harpe, meet my dear friend – Vanity!" He showed the gold framed mirror to the servant.

The Noir stayed quiet for some moments, trying to figure if it was joke or if Ronan was serious. He concluded it was the first option.

"What a pretty mirror, my lord. I'm sure it's a great friend." Harpe laughed.

"What? No." Ronan grimaced, and the servant's smile disappeared. The Erudon looked at the mirror – it was showing his reflection. She was gone. "Vanity? Vanity! Why won't you show yourself to Harpe!? I've already mentioned him to you – don't be shy now!"

Harpe sighed and shook his head disapprovingly. He got up and took the mirror from Ronan's hands, placing it on an old woody dresser, and took the young indigo's hand.

"Come, you must be tired from dining." Harpe shivered, and Ronan noticed that he didn't hold his hand still, he unquietly moved his fingers and struggled to keep the contact, as if Ronan's hand was burning it or something. "My lord, let me guide you to your chambers so you can have a good night's rest. Your father doesn't want you at the dinner after tonight's behaviour." He started walking, and Ronan thought about protesting, but didn't. He just looked at the floor as they walked. "You should stop talking to yourself, lord Ronan, that's unhealthy. Sure, it's a mirror, but... That's not natural."

Ronan had mentioned her before. That friend who was trapped inside a mirror - the Erudon had mentioned he constantly talked with her, but the servant didn't believe him at first. But, upon seeing Ronan alone in the basement, holding a mirror, he finally realized it was true. His lord had the habit of talking to himself.

"But Vanity is real. She's just too shy to come out and meet you." Ronan whispered.

The servant rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're a bit too old to have imaginary friends, my lord." They got out of the basement and were now in the hallway. Harpe closed the door and continued guiding his lord to his chambers.

Ronan didn't answer, just quietly followed him. Vanity is real, Harpe just didn't understand because he never met her.

 **-x—x—x-**

Inside the mirror, Pride let out a sigh in contentment, glad that Harpe didn't see her. "How stupid I am… I could've easily convinced him to contract with me, then I would be freed from this stupid vessel. No, stupid HE is for looking to much like Gammon! UGH!" She groaned, hugging herself in pain.

"The magic is growing effective now that my consciousness is active… I've been able to block it and surviving by staying dormant for centuries, but now… What should I do… I don't want to die… And the only way to save myself would be to contract with him, but… Ugh, I hate to say this, but… I don't want to harm him…"

"Gammon… What should I do?"


	3. Act 3: Contract

**Basement of Erudon Mansion, Late April of EC. 1448.**

Ronan found himself running down the stairs to the basement of his home, the Erudon mansion, in order to greet his friend, Vanity, looking forward to telling her what happened earlier that day.

In truth, during his dancing lesson, Harpe was found peeking on him through the door keyhole. Ronan's dance instructor scolded Harpe for it and made him join the training practice. The servant was very clumsy dancing and would often trip over his own feet, amusing Ronan, and in the young Erudon's eyes that was adorable.

After half an hour or so, the dance instructor left them alone upon being called to do something important, and Ronan decided to do something "fun". He grabbed Harpe's arms and started twirling around with him, but Harpe tripped and fell over, pulling the young Erudon with him. Their lips faintly touched for a brief moment, and the indigo-haired boy, who had a major crush for his mentor, ran away in embarrassment.

Ronan opened the black box, trying to keep himself from squealing too loud, and started talking with the mirror.

"Vanity! You won't believe what happened today! It was wonderful!" He said cheerfully, but got no response. "Vanity?" He called her name again. "Vanity, why are you ignoring me? Don't tell me you're mad at me because I accidentally spilled strawberry milk over your glass the other day… I told you I am sorry." He tilted his head in confusion and pouted.

Still, he got no response. Ronan inspected the mirror, and immediately noticed that the glass was darker than usual. Weird.

Thinking carefully about it, Vanity had been acting weird lately; she was less enthusiastic, and had stopped making fun of Ronan and calling him a commoner. He was growing worried – perhaps something bad was happening to Vanity, but she didn't want to tell Ronan in order to not trouble him?

"Vanity? What happened, are you sick!?"

His grip on the mirror handle started tightening, and his eyes became teary. All of sudden, the mirror's glass became clearer and Ronan was able to see Vanity; As he suspected, she didn't look well.

"Ugh…" She groaned tiredly.

"Vanity! What is happening? Are you sick?" Ronan asked. She denied it, claiming it was nothing – but Ronan was not buying it. After some insisting, the demon decided to tell the indigo knight the truth.

"The spell… is getting stronger… energy… self…. fading…" She murmured, looking away. Ronan widened his eyes in shock.

"What? Don't tell me you're dying because of the spell! Please, don't leave me alone!" He cried.

"There is nothing you can do… to help me… I'm sorry…"

In truth, there was. If Ronan were to contract Vanity, she could reside on the young boy's body and use his vital energy to survive.

It would be painful to Ronan at first, since he's still of young age. It would be easier if she had moved to his body when he were still an unborn (she would use the mother for sustenance instead and move to his body later on) OR if he were already an adult.

Vanity felt frustrated at the fact she didn't want to harm Ronan in any way. When did she become such a softie…? Vanity didn't remember when was the last time someone was gentle to her just as Ronan was, and she developed a fondness for him. Besides, Ronan reminded her so much of that person…

"Vanity, please don't die!" Ronan cried, bringing Vanity back to reality. "There must be something I can do! Anything! Just tell me and I'll do it…! So please…"

The demon looked up at that stupid crying face and stared at it for some moments. Vanity sighed and decided to give in - after all, Ronan wouldn't feel the pain forever, and she didn't want to die.

"If you insist… There is a way. If we make a contract." She looked at him with a serious expression. Ronan was clueless of she meant by contract, but just nodded.

"Tell me and I'll do it, Vanity."

"Just… Hold the mirror firmly, and calm your mind."

Ronan did as she told, though she could see he was somewhat nervous. The demon concentrated to find a gap in the spell that sealed her in the mirror, and as soon as she found it, quickly transplanted herself to Ronan's body.

The young Erudon felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart. He cried out in pain, calling the attention of the servants who were upstairs. He dropped the mirror, its glass breaking in countless tiny pieces. Ronan lied down in a fetal position and cried in pain. The last thing he could hear was Harpe exclaiming "Young Master!" before he passed out.

* * *

When Ronan woke up, he found himself in his room. He looked around and saw Harpe and one of the housemaids, Haruna, who was Harpe's mother, sleeping on a couch.

"Harpe?"

Ronan called out in a low tone, and surprisingly he managed to wake the albino up.

"My Lord!" The servant immediately got up and held Ronan's small hand on his own. – "Oh dear Goddesses, My Lord, I was so worried! You were screaming, and when I found you, you were passed out! What were you doing at the mansion's basement!? Didn't the adults tell you you aren't allowed to go down there!?" Harpe had so much more to say, but he stopped himself; Ronan was weakened after all.

"I'm sorry I worried you…" The Erudon looked at the albino with his indigo, big puppy eyes. Harpe sighed. He didn't want to make Ronan saddened. "You're not mad at me, are you, Harpe?"

"It's okay… I'm not mad." Harpe smiled, reassuring the Erudon. "Just tell me, what happened in the basement? You seemed to be having some sort of convulsions, but they calmed down as we were rushing you to the infirmary… It was weird." The servant explained.

Ronan tried to remember. He had closed his eyes when he was told to calm his mind, so he had no idea of what happened before he felt that intense pain. He shrugged, but soon gasped as he remembered something.

"Vanity…." He murmured. "That's right! Vanity!" he grabbed Harpe by his shirt's collar. "Where is Vanity?! Is she okay!? Did you hurt her!?"

"This Vanity talk again, my lord? I have no idea what you're talking about." Harpe's smiled turned bitterly, whether he intended it or not. "You were alone in the basement, and there were glass shards next to you."

Ronan became worried. Glass shards… That means the mirror must have shattered… Was Vanity…dead? The young Erudon hugged himself, and was about to cry when he heard a voice in his head.

"Stop over-worrying, commoner. I'm alright."

"Vanity?" He looked around the room, but there were only a confused Harpe and an asleep Haruna present. "Where are you?"

"Stupid. I'm residing inside your body — You ought to feel honored by being inhabited by such a powerful demon of sin such as I!" She said with a proud tune in her voice, but it soon softened. "…That was what the contract was for, I hope you're not mad."

"Then, you're okay now?" He simply asked.

"Well, so-so. Your body is disappointing in terms of bearing power and energy — But I can content myself with that."

"Is that so… Then I'm not mad; I'm filled with joy!" He smiled. "I am so glad, Vanity. That's wonderful! You're better, and now I can talk to you anytime!"

"Yeah, whatever, stupid."

Ronan giggled, making Harpe confused, but the albino decided not to ask his master about it. Instead, he brought up another object.

"So… About what happened in the dancing practice…" He started, calling the young indigo's attention.

After hearing the words 'dancing practice', Ronan's cheeks blushed hard and he quickly got out of the bed. Harpe tried reaching out to him, but Ronan ran away in embarrassment. Harpe sighed.

"…I just hope he's not mad at me, or interpreted what happened wrongly. It was a mere accident." His cheeks slightly flushed as he touched his lips. "Young Master…"


End file.
